Mistake
by dawneh
Summary: Manny crosses the line and Bernard reacts... harshly...


He stood in the street with his face turned to the darkened sky. The icy fingers of rain were harshly wiping away his tears. He trembled, but not just from the cold.

With a pitiful animal whimper Manny buried his face in hands, hoping to wipe away the memories. How could he have been so stupid? What was he thinking? True, they had consumed a vast quantity of wine that night, but that was hardly anything unusual.

And now, here he was, outside, in the cold.

Manny pressed his eyes tightly together, trying to block out the images, but they came to him stronger than ever.

Bernard was smiling. Well, kind of. It was a crooked drunken grin, sliding across his face as he raised his empty glass to Manny. Without hesitation Manny raised the almost depleted wine bottle pouring the last of it into Bernard's glass. The action earned Manny another drunken smile, before Bernard took the half filled wine glass into his embrace like a long lost lover. Manny watched as Bernard caressed the edge of the glass, running his finger tips along its edge. Bernard's eyes were filled with a desire and longing, which was finally satisfied as he raised the glass to his eager lips pouring the liquid into his waiting mouth.

Bernard sighed as returned the now drained glass to the desk, quickly replacing one oral fixation with another as he reached for his cigarettes.

No matter how long Manny lived in the shop he didn't think he would ever get over the amazement at the levels of indulgence Bernard could entertain in a single evening. Manny's own consumption of wine may have increased steadily since meeting Bernard, but the portion of empty wine bottles he contributed to a night was far less then those emptied by his employer.

Bernard observed his empty glass before turning his puppy dog eyes to Manny. Manny smiled and rose, slightly unsteadily, to his feet, heading to the kitchen for another bottle.

On many levels Manny knew that Bernard exploited him. A job that had started out as shop assistant quickly turned to that of housekeep, cook and on certain occasions, nanny. Manny had easily taken over the responsibility of keeping Bernard clean, fed and alive. He made sure that the food was hot, the wine was cold and, as often as was possible, that Bernard made it safe back to his own bed at night. Manny's reward for most of this was generally abuse, both verbal and physical. If Bernard wasn't complaining about the food, he was throwing books at Manny for not working fast enough. Yet through it all Manny stayed unerringly loyal to this strange drunken Irish man, despite Bernard's many and varied attempts to get him to leave.

But recently Bernard seemed a little different. Manny hadn't received a book to the back of his head in almost two weeks now. Maybe Bernard was mellowing, finally accepting Manny as a part of his life, not just a passing annoyance.

Manny steadied himself with one hand on the back of Bernard's chair as he leaned over to top up the waiting glass. Bernard's hand dashing out to grab his prize, almost the second that Manny stopped pouring.

It was around this moment when everything suddenly changed. Manny put the bottle down on the desk, but instead of returning to his own chair, he paused where he stood looking down on Bernard. Without thought he gently touched the top of Bernard's hair, amazed by its touch. Despite the fact that Bernard's hair looked to unkept and wild it felt soft and silken to Manny's fingertips.

Bernard seemed oblivious to the unexpected and intimate touch of Manny as he continued to drink his wine. Or maybe, Manny considered, it was that he just didn't mind. Emboldened by this thought Manny sunk his fingers deeper into the nest of Bernard locks, revelling at the feel as the strands slid between his fingers.

Manny wasn't sure what strange force had taken over him, he could feel the mix of wine and blood coursing through his veins, pounding in his ears. His fingers moved from Bernard's hair, trailing down to his strong jaw before resting under Bernard's chin, tilting the other man's face up towards him. Bernard's expression seemed blank and unfocussed as Manny's eyes searched for any kind of reaction.

Drunk on a blend of wine and the dark inviting pools of Bernard's eyes, Manny leaned down, searching for the softness of Bernard's mouth with his own. For a moment he tasted the sweet wine and cigarettes on Bernard's lips.

Then there was the sound of the wine bottle smashing to the floor, followed by the sound of pain and Manny's back crashed into the bookshelves. Dazed for a moment Manny looked up to see an angry Bernard bearing down on him. Without a word Bernard grabbed the collar of Manny's shirt dragging him roughly to the door, before tearing it open and throwing Manny out onto the cold, wet street.

Manny rubbed away his tears with the back of his hand. What had he been thinking? He had always suspected that if Bernard knew what he'd been thinking he would end up were he was now. Homeless, unemployed and worst of all, very alone.

Manny sank to his knees, barely noticing as the cold and wet seeped into the fabric of his trousers. Nothing seemed to matter as he slumped down into a puddle of wretchedness.

He was unaware of the sounds around him. He didn't notice the traffic passing by the end of the road. He didn't hear the dog a few streets away barking into the night. And he was unaware of the footsteps approaching him. Manny jumped at the feel of a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he was surprised to see Bernard standing over him. The flashed of anger had gone from his eyes, replaced by a gentleness.

Bernard reached out his hand, "Come on Manny, come back inside."

Manny took hold of the outstretched hand, accepting Bernard's assistance getting to his feet.

Not letting go of his hand Bernard lead Manny back inside the shop, closing the door behind them.


End file.
